Hi guys! I’m over at Bali Blinds today, talking about why Ben and I picked the house we live in, how we decorate in rental-friendly ways, and where we go to shop on a budget. Plus of course, pics of our place. Check it out!

As you may have noticed (or maybe not!), I haven’t been posting quite as regularly the last few weeks. Not to sound like a broken record, but life has been pretty busy lately. I still want blogging to be FUN, so I decided that when I feel too tired to write a blog post, I’m just going to go to bed instead of staying up late and stressing about it. Let’s be honest, the posts I write when I’m halfway asleep *usually* aren’t my best anyways. I recently read an interesting article on the New York Times titled “When Blogging Becomes a Slog.” Have you guys read this? If you’re fellow bloggers, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic. I don’t blog full-time, so unless I work on the blog a lot over the weekend, I’m usually writing each day’s post the night before. Which I’m not complaining about--it’s something I really enjoy doing. But I have noticed that when I say “yes” to all the opportunities that come my way and try to do it all, everything becomes a lot less fun. So I’m trying to do a better job of saying “no” unless it’s something that I really want to do (and have the bandwidth for). And I’m trying to put my life first, so blogging stays fun and doesn’t become a “slog.” Speaking of my life, here are some of the things I did this past month, as captured by my iPhone.

We took a spontaneous trip to Kalaloch, on the Washington coast, to celebrate the end of summer.

I got those leopard print flats that I posted in this wish list (I actually got the wallet and the Anthropologie necklace too--except in pink).

I also got a pair of Frye boots that I had been coveting for a long time. I’ve been wearing them almost every day since fall started...

I’ve also been painting my nails a lot more than I used to…since I’m working at a nail polish company, I feel like it’s kind of necessary. It’s nice to have a reason to set aside some mani time!

I re-styled my hutch to incorporate these pink tumblers that I got from IKEA. They’re only $1.99 each, people. Get some!

I got some dahlias from the farmer’s market.

And on Sunday, I threw a “rain shower” themed baby shower for my sister-in-law Rebecca. I hung a clear umbrella over her chair and tied rain drops to it (cut out of cardboard and wrapped with tinfoil).

My other sister-in-law, Ellen, made a rainbow cake and sugar cookies shaped like clouds and umbrellas. And I busted out my cloud shaped serving board from Uncommon Goods.

Oh, and we made caramel apples (photo stolen from Ellen’s Instagram).

Last but not least, last night I fiiiiiiiiinally got my new phone in the mail! I’ve had an iPhone 4 for several years now. It has a cracked screen and the camera takes about a minute to “warm up” before it’ll let me take a picture…so needless to say, I’m ready for something new. And I’m really excited to be able to take better iPhone photos!

I did a lot of other things this month, but I didn’t take photos of them all. Cuz sometimes it’s better to DO things than to document them. Amiright?

How was your month?? Hope you all have been well.

P.S. Most of these photos are from my Instagram account. Follow along, if you’d like!

Have you guys ever heard of Rachel Ryle? I came across her yesterday and I got totally sucked in to her Instagram account. I am now officially obsessed with her stop-motion illustrations. They are so cute and SO impressive! I really need to learn how to make stop-motion videos on my phone. Has anyone else tried them before? Is there an app you use? Do you have any tips or tricks? I know I won’t be able to make anything near as cool as Rachel’s videos, but I want to give it a try.

Here’s just one of her videos, but you’ve got to head over to Instagram to watch more! I guarantee they will put a smile on your face. Just be careful…you might look up and find that half the day is gone. Whoops!

Over the weekend, I stumbled across a new blog that I think you guys are going to love: Room for Tuesday. I asked Sarah if I could feature her and give you guys a little house tour, and luckily for all of us, she said yes! Sarah and her husband Kalyn (who was her high school boyfriend--so cute) recently bought their first house, and have been in the process of renovating it. Have I ever mentioned before that I love renovation stories? Especially the before & after photos. Who doesn’t love a good transformation? I think it’s partially because I’m pretty sure that when Ben and I are finally able to buy a house, it’s going to be a fixer. So it’s encouraging and fascinating to see how other people have turned their own ugly ducklings into swans. And you guys…this house is definitely no ugly duckling anymore.

I am obsessed with how she incorporated her TV into a gallery wall. Such a great way to work with technology, instead of trying to hide it. Ben and I just redid our gallery wall too! I can’t wait to show you.

And this hallway…gorgeous, right? The wallpaper is Petal Pusher, by Joy Cho. You’ve probably seen it around, gracing the walls of only the most stylish people of the internet. It makes such a statement, and is a great blend between whimsical and elegant.

Oh, and Sarah also has a green thumb, which I am very jealous of. Check out this post she did about houseplants. All those plants are actually alive and thriving in her house. And here I am, struggling to keep air plants alive…*insert grimacing emoji*

Ok, but enough of me talking! Sarah was kind enough to answer a bunch of questions I had for her, so let’s get to that!

1. Can you tell me a little bit of your background, and how you got started with Room for Tuesday? 

I’ve always been interested in design and knew I wanted a job that allowed me to be creative. I went to art school at Indiana and received my BFA in Graphic Design. After graduating, I landed a design job for a chocolate company. A dream combination! Aside from branding, packaging, and lots of sampling, working in the chocolate industry allowed me to learn the basics of food photography and styling. In fact, I enjoyed it so much- I decided I would like to explore other creative mediums. This is when Room for Tuesday became a reality; it is my place to explore and share creative inspiration.

2. How did you come up with the name Room for Tuesday?

During college, one of my design professors made us create a blog to record our weekly inspiration. Our assignment was to blog once a week; I set up a Tumblr and blogged during class on Tuesdays. It was a bit of an ongoing joke in the beginning that I had to “make room” in my schedule to blog on Tuesdays. I also love interior spaces, so I tagged my blog “Room for Tuesday” and it kind of stuck when I moved over to WordPress to blog seriously.

3. Your home is so gorgeous. How do you go about decorating a room? Do you have a process?

Thank you!  I typically find a couple pieces I really love and work around them. Sometimes it’s something small- like a rug, accessory, or a piece of art. Other times it’s a larger item, such as furniture. It can be anything that really speaks to me! From there, I usually pull a color palette and begin putting the pieces together. My home is so small, it’s important for me to keep functionality in mind. Accessorizing and styling comes last; I especially like adding texture with pillows, throws, plants, and other objects.

4. Do you have a favorite room or favorite item in your house?

The kitchen is my favorite space. I love baking and food photography; my bright white kitchen is the perfect place to capture a new recipe. We haven’t even lived in our home for a year and it’s already the place with the best memories.

5. Where do you find your inspiration?

As a print designer, I’m subscribed to a lot of magazines. There’s something about turning pages I’ll always love! I’m currently getting Elle Décor, Domino, Real Simple, Food&Wine, Bon Appetit, Architectural Digest, Kinfolk, Martha Stewart, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and a few local reads. I told you I’m a sucker for print, haha! Of course, like everyone else, I also spend a lot of time browsing online.

6. What are some books, movies, and/or blogs that you recommend?

I really enjoyed reading #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso. I posted my favorite coffee table books on the blog a few weeks ago; see them here.

Kalyn and I don’t have “real TV” so we watch a lot of Netflix. After renovating, we binged on Mad Men and Breaking Bad. I’ve been watching New Girl and lots of documentaries lately, Blackfish being the latest.

I have so many favorite blogs: Smitten Studio, Katies Pencil Box, Style by Emily Henderson, The Fresh Exchange, The Jealous Curator, Oh Joy (who was nice enough to feature my hallway), and Little Green Notebook, to name a handful.

 

7. What are some of your favorite places to shop for your home?

Working for an interior design firm gives me access to so many great resources. I’m going to High Point Market in North Carolina next month, which features all things interiors. Vintage items will always be my favorite; I scour Ebay, Craigslist, and Etsy for one of a kind pieces. As a young homeowner, budgeting is always on my mind- stores like West Elm, Target, and CB2 are always good for filling in the gaps. Lately, I’m noticing amazing things at General Store, Lulu & Georgia, the TRNK store, and Schoolhouse Electric.

8. What are some trends that you’re loving right now?

Right now I’m really into slab wood. I think my next big project will be designing a bed or headboard made from a large slab. It’s gorgeous- you have to Google it!

Wall hangings- I absolutely love them. During college, I was the nerd in the studio hand dying, spinning, and weaving on a five-foot loom. I took a ton of textile classes and you’ll probably be seeing one of my wall hangings on the blog soon.

I’m also working on making my home cozy for the fall season, so I’m recently drawn to throws, pillar candles, rugs, and fireplace accessories (weird, I know!).

9. I saw that you have a day job as well. How do you balance your job and your blog? Do the two go hand-in-hand, or are they totally different?

I do have a day job. After renovating my house, I fell in love with interiors. I decided to transition my full-time job from graphic to interior design. I recently joined an interior design firm, which has been really fun! I also have my own company, Sarah Gibson Design, where I take on freelance graphic design projects such as identities, branding, packaging, and creative direction.

My blog is really my outlet for inspiration; it gives me a break from forced creativity, so I try to keep it separate from my day job. My goal is to set aside time for at least one post per week. Sometimes I have time for more, and other times it’s less. It is time consuming to create content, style and shoot photos, as well as maintain the site, but I wouldn’t trade it for sleep! I love making connections with readers and other bloggers.

10. You and your husband are working on renovating your house (and the before and afters are amazing--you’re doing such a great job). What advice would you give to someone who is starting the renovation process?

Thanks! This is our first home and we purchased it as a foreclosure. It’s the best way to get exactly what you want for a small amount of money. However, we didn’t intend to gut the entire house. Long story short- we took out the walls, the floor, the plumbing, and the electrical. Nothing stayed, which meant a lot of time, energy, and money. Luckily, my husband Kalyn is incredibly handy and he saved us so much money doing most everything himself. The downside? It took us almost two years to move in. My advice: don’t bite off more than you can chew, especially if you’re in a hurry to see results. I would also say with a project of this size, when you feel burnt out- take a break, step back, or go away for the weekend.

11. What future plans, projects, and goals have you most excited right now?

The basement renovation! I really wanted to have a cool attic studio space, but the amount of work it would take is way out of our budget. This means the basement will become my new workspace. It’s going to be pretty industrial looking, but I can’t wait to move my working area from the dining room table. Our basement is huge, so we are dividing it into sections: a laundry room, Finn’s dog area, storage, and the larger part will be my studio.

Isn’t Sarah just the cutest? You have to head on over to her blog now, follow her on every form of social media, drool over her food photography, and check out the “befores” of some of these rooms. You will be so impressed.

All photos via Room for Tuesday.